﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUERIES. 
  229 
  

  

  west. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  we 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  nine 
  hundred 
  miles 
  from 
  

   the 
  nearest 
  land. 
  This 
  bird 
  is 
  stated 
  by 
  Cory 
  to 
  inhabit 
  the 
  Bahamas 
  

   and 
  Greater 
  Antilles. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  Africa, 
  but 
  I 
  cannot 
  find 
  any 
  

   satisfactory 
  explanation 
  for 
  its 
  being 
  found 
  so 
  far 
  from 
  land. 
  Un- 
  

   fortunately 
  I 
  cannot 
  certify 
  to 
  its 
  being 
  Ardea 
  garzetta, 
  not 
  being 
  

   sufficiently 
  conversant 
  with 
  the 
  bird 
  to 
  enable 
  me 
  to 
  identify 
  it 
  with- 
  

   out 
  doubt, 
  but, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  knowledge 
  goes 
  from 
  the 
  many 
  similar 
  

   descriptions 
  given 
  me, 
  I 
  should 
  put 
  it 
  down 
  as 
  a 
  Little 
  Egret. 
  

  

  Lat. 
  15° 
  54' 
  N., 
  long. 
  66° 
  28' 
  W., 
  Feb. 
  7th. 
  — 
  Between 
  Martinique 
  

   and 
  Jamaica, 
  in 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  Sea, 
  I 
  noticed 
  Greater 
  Shearwaters 
  

   {Puffinus 
  gravis) 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  They 
  were 
  flying 
  in 
  flocks, 
  passing 
  

   at 
  intervals 
  of 
  about 
  an 
  hour, 
  in 
  an 
  easterly 
  direction. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  

   flocks 
  were 
  long 
  and 
  straggling, 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  counted 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  sixty 
  birds, 
  covering 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  of 
  sea. 
  Now 
  and 
  

   again 
  they 
  would 
  mount 
  and 
  wheel 
  round 
  high 
  overhead, 
  then 
  suddenly 
  

   drop 
  and 
  resume 
  their 
  previous 
  mode 
  of 
  progression. 
  I 
  never 
  actually 
  

   saw 
  them 
  plunge 
  into 
  the 
  water, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  created 
  a 
  great 
  

   commotion 
  among 
  the 
  Flying 
  Fish, 
  which 
  were 
  very 
  numerous. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  flocks 
  passed 
  within 
  several 
  hundred 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  boat, 
  but 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  take 
  very 
  little 
  notice 
  of 
  it, 
  none 
  following 
  in 
  its 
  wake, 
  as 
  

   do 
  the 
  Gulls, 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  scraps 
  thrown 
  overboard. 
  This 
  fact 
  is 
  

   also 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Bowdler 
  Sharpe 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Handbook 
  of 
  British 
  

   Birds,' 
  vol. 
  iv. 
  It 
  is, 
  I 
  believe, 
  somewhat 
  unusual 
  to 
  find 
  this 
  bird 
  in 
  

   large 
  flocks. 
  Mr. 
  Bowdler 
  Sharpe 
  states 
  that 
  "sometimes 
  half 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  together, 
  but 
  more 
  often 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  pairs." 
  The 
  

   identification 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  is 
  almost 
  certain, 
  their 
  large 
  size, 
  together 
  

   with 
  white 
  breast 
  and 
  short 
  tail, 
  making 
  them 
  easily 
  recognizable 
  with 
  

   a 
  good 
  glass 
  at 
  so 
  short 
  a 
  range. 
  

  

  Gibraltar, 
  March 
  1st. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  harbour 
  here 
  I 
  noticed, 
  amongst 
  a 
  

   large 
  gathering 
  of 
  Gulls, 
  one 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  Black- 
  

   headed 
  Gull 
  (La> 
  us 
  melanocephalus), 
  which 
  was 
  also 
  recognized 
  by 
  an 
  

   eminent 
  ornithologist 
  on 
  board, 
  but 
  of 
  course 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  obtain 
  the 
  

   bird. 
  This 
  Gull 
  is 
  not 
  often 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  harbour, 
  and 
  is 
  seldom 
  found 
  

   to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Malaga, 
  its 
  place 
  here 
  being 
  taken 
  by 
  L. 
  ridibundus. 
  

  

  Bay 
  of 
  Biscay, 
  March 
  4th. 
  — 
  While 
  crossing 
  the 
  bay 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  

   about 
  twelve 
  Meadow-Pipits 
  (Anthus 
  pratensis) 
  followed 
  our 
  boat. 
  As 
  

   evening 
  came 
  on 
  they 
  settled 
  on 
  board, 
  worn 
  out 
  with 
  fatigue. 
  They 
  

   were 
  quite 
  tame, 
  and 
  allowed 
  themselves 
  to 
  be 
  caught 
  by 
  hand. 
  They 
  

   seemed 
  badly 
  in 
  need 
  of 
  water. 
  Several 
  of 
  these 
  little 
  birds 
  remained 
  

   with 
  us 
  until 
  we 
  reached 
  Plymouth, 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  boat 
  by 
  night, 
  and 
  

   by 
  day 
  flying 
  on 
  the 
  lee-side 
  of 
  the 
  ship. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  somewhat 
  early 
  

  

  